Of course news has a future; the end of news is as inconceivable as the end of history. But while news moves into a new electronic future -- both irresistible and unavoidable -- let's not conclude that the Internet is the end of the life cycle of the news business.

Just as television did not represent the natural conclusion of the evolution of news, neither does the Internet.

What follows will be just as unavoidable, just as irresistible, and just as devastating to those who, a half generation from now, will think of interactive media as the norm.